This book was a DNF for me. I tried to push through, but the writing felt juvenile and there was nothing about the characters that made me want to root for them.
The flashback scenes felt more realistic like the author was writing from experience, but the present day felt out of touch for what it is like being an adult. The author also created "insta love" between the characters with only a few flashbacks and no context to if they knew each other in elementary or a long term crush, it just moved very quickly.
The dual timeline idea for this kind of book is a good one, but I felt that may have been causing it to be rushed or packing too much in. I think the flashbacks could have been reduced and we still get the same effects.
I think that is all the criticism I can give for only getting through 20% of the book. I wanted to quite at 7%, but pushed on in hopes of falling in love with the characters or a better plot development, but was not met with what I needed.

Upon starting this: I had no clue the author was a TEENAGER!! Major kudos for executing a super cute debut! Each chapter title was a song (and almost all were Taylor songs!) and I was oh so impressed how well each song corresponded to what was going on during that chapter. Second chance romances are one of my most favorite tropes and this one was very well done! I appreciated how this one dealt with tough topics (death of a parent, Cancer, Parkinson’s) I thought the relationship between Aspen & Roman was organic and vey relatable! The ending was SO SWOONY!

DNF at 30%, I was sent a copy of this for free for my review from NetGalley but in the end I had to bail. There's too many cute Christmas romances to read and too little time alas. The start of a book for me has to at least set up some sort of challenges for the MC to overcome and this didn't have really have any. The internal and external dialogue is terrible. I'm vaguely curious as to what happened with the bff's lying boyfriend but it honestly didn't seem like it was ever going to get back to it or that she really cared other than her public reputation. In the end I think it was the brutal nicknames that took me out. Mi cielo, this was not the book for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Parson Press for the arc of TIS THE DAMN SEASON.

Unfortunately, this was not the holiday book for me. The writing seemed juvenile (which makes sense when I learned the author was only 16 when she wrote it) so I think going in the YA direction instead of writing the characters as adults would have helped. The characters just weren’t likeable for me and seemed immature.

A good premise for a story, but it felt a bit young for me.
I hadn’t realised the author was a teenager when I read it, so it makes sense.
A book for younger readers possibly?

3.5 rounded up to 4 - As a fellow Swiftie, I found this lightly Christmas-themed romance really delightful! I love a celeb-normie trope and the playlist of songs tied to each chapter were a really nice touch. Overall a very sweet read!

This was such a sweet book with a Taylor Swift twist! I loved the second chance romance trope. Some of the storyline was predictable but otherwise, it was a cute read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Aspen is a Hollywood actress caught in the middle of a scandal. She escapes to her small hometown in PA to escape from it all. Once there, she runs in to her ex boyfriend, Roman, who she still has undeniable chemistry for. But is he worth leaving all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood behind?

This was an adorable book that was such a fun read! It kept me on my toes and I just loved the characters! The writing was great and the past/present timeline was done so well! If you love second chance romance, this is the book for you! Such a great holiday book!

📘: ‘Tis the damn Season by Kimi Freeman
🗓️: October 24, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimi Freeman, and Parson Press for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

I thought this was pretty juvenile in how it was written. The plot was fine, but not unique. The word choices and sentence structure weren't varied. In reading other reviews, I saw agreement that this kind of read like fan fiction. It's hard to not think that considering the title of the book is based on a Taylor Swift song of the same name. Having each chapter be titled after a song didn't help that and in a way, I think took away from what the chapter entailed because it wasn't always super relevant or clear why that song was chosen.

That being said, I found out that the author is sixteen, and knowing this influences how I review the book. Publishing a book this young is super impressive and I think that the author will get better as she continues. She has a fan and I can't wait to read what she writes next!

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. Too juvenile and I just couldn’t get on with it. It seems like it is marketed to an adult audience, when in fact it’s far more young adult than anything else.

This book reminded me a lot of books I would read when I used to read books on Wattpad. Not a book I would recommend to others as it's quite childish. Thank you for the arc in return for my honest review.

This was cute. It felt straight out of wattpad but it's understandable since the author is only 16! Hope she keeps writing and growing 😊

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

This book moved way too slow and I found myself losing interest every time I tried to pick it up and read it.

This one was another cute story to put you in the Christmas spirit! It definitely has more YA feels and there is minimal spice so think hallmark! I loved the relationship between Aspen and Roman and the switch between past and present. Not to mention the Taylor Swift vibes!

I love the idea and the overall concept, as I adore the inspiration of the song title, but the execution was just off for me. The nicknames really irritated me too and I felt the story had no depth, despite it being about an ongoing relationship. Definitely more of a YA feel and could be marketed that way with some tweaks.

Obviously the Swiftie in me had to pick this one up. This book was so painfully YA, but the author is 16 years old so that tracks. The writing was choppy and awkward and the plot overall just wasn't really what I was expecting. It took place during the holiday season, but I thought it was going to be more a Christmas book. I was also under the impression it was based off the Taylor Swift song 'Tis the Damn Season, but it really wasn't. Maybe a little bit but the whole plot of Aspen's scandal kind of overshadowed that. I probably would not recommend this one. I like the nod to my girl Taylor but it just wasn't a quality book. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a good YA, but this just wasn't it.

This was such a fun read! I loved that it was inspired by one of my fave Taylor Swift songs and I loved how the plot / setting paralleled the song so well. I loved the characters and the current and past chapters. Second chance is one of my fave tropes and this was so fun to read. It had a lot of heart and emotion and I definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Parson Press for this E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book because the title and the cute cover. First of all, kudos to the author Because she’s very young. This book skewed very young, though. I feel like that’s due to the author’s age a little bit. I had a hard time connecting to the characters because they acted so young. It was a super cute plot though!

This was a fun holiday read with a creative plot. I laughed at some parts and overall enjoyed it a lot.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. The writing felt very YA/childish. I saw that a teenager wrote this? I wish i would have known. SKIP